Closure means for storage box



March 28, 1961 J. E. FELLOWES CLOSURE MEANS FOR STORAGE BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 7, 1958 fF/Eti.

(/07222 E Fllowes March 28, 1961 J. E. FELLOWES CLOSURE MEANS FOR STORAGE BOX 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 7, 1958 Q k J 2,977,037 1 Patented 28, 1961 CLOSURE MEANS FOR STORAGE BOX John 'E. Fellowes, Wheaten, Ill., assignor to Bankers Box Company, Franklin Park, 11]., a corporation of Illinols Filed May 7, 1958, Ser. No. 733,586

8 Claims. (Cl. 229-47) spondence files, invoices or the like. Such storage boxes,

once filled, are not referred to very frequently and hence are very simply and economically constructed.

Inasmuch as storage boxes have no sliding drawers, the interior of such boxes may be reached through the top thereof, said top being formed from longitudinal flaps hinged at the upper side edges of the box and overlapped to provide a reasonable degree of dust protection for the contents of the box. The overlapping flaps are secured together, partly to insure the presence of the desired relatively dust-proof sealior the contents, and partly for the purpose of giving the box rigidity, so that it may be carried from place to place and slid upon, or off, a stack of similar boxes without'distortion and without shifting the contents of the box in a manner to over stress and rupture some of the seams and overlapped joints used" in the construction of the box. It is sometimes convenient to provide a metal ring mounted on a plate suitably secured to the end face of the container 'bywhichthe container or box may be pulled from a stack or otherwise manipulated.

Although the box, once filled and stored away, might not'be pulled out and opened at frequent intervals, nevertheless at such times when it is necessary to 'examinethe contents'thereof, it is essentialthat the movement of one box over the overlapping flaps of the box immediately be- "low will not have a deleterious effect upon the said overlapping flaps and their securing'means.

It is among the principal objects of this inventionto provide an improved securing means "for overlapping flaps of a storage box wherein such securing means is not affectedby any part of a storage box which maybe slid thereover in the normal handling of such'boxes.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an improved securing means for overlapping'flaps' of a storage box, wherein said securing means, although readily engaged and disengaged by a resilient action of thelocking mechanism, will nevertheless resist an inadvertent disengagement thereof by pressure exerted upon the flaps in an opening direction.

As a further object, this invention has within its purview the provision of a novel closing means for a storage box or the like, said closing means being constructed as a one-piece, stamped metal'plate'appropriately ribbed 'to increase its rigidity in directions transverse to its plane, and with quickly detachable means secured to the ends of the box and constructed to be interlocked resiliently with the plate for holding the cover fiapsin closed relation.

As a more specific object, this invention seeks to--pro- Videmetallic closing means for a storage box made-of non-metallic, relatively soft fibrous material such as corrugated paper or the like, whereinsaid closure means includes hingedspring clips supported from the ends of the box in proximity to-the cover flaps thereof, and received within a depression in a metal plate secured to one of the cover flaps and overlying the-other-of said cover flaps, the spring clips, when in engaged position, lying totally below the normal plane of the plate, with deflecting means deflecting means on the plate in the vicinity of the clip designed to prevent contact between a protuberance on the bottom of a superposed box from contacting the spring clip and inadvertently opening or damaging the spring clip'when the superposed box is slid over-the plate.

A feature of this invention resides in the provision of a boss in a metallic closure platefor astorage'box, said boss beingdisposed adjacent a spring clip type of lock for the storage box to deflect protuberances on a superposed box from the spring:clip,.said boss performing the additional function of a stiffening rib for the plate.

Another feature of thisinvention resides in theprovision of a metallic, resilient locking means for the cover flaps of a storage box wherein the locking means includes holders in the form of plates secured to the ends of-the box, at leastone of said fplates having a ring thereon by which the'box may be pulled and moved from place to place.

These and other objects and features of this invention will becomeapparent'from the following detailed description when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which,

Fig. l is a plan view of a storage box to which the securing means of this invention has been. applied; v

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan'viewofthelocking' means of this invention with portions 'of the locking means cut away 'to show the details "of construction thereof;

Fig. 3 isan end elevational view of 'thebox' of Fig. 1; "Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary plan View. of the securing means for the box of Fig. 1,"the view being similarto that of Fig. 2, but 'showingth'e securing means in a different stage of its operation; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side 'elevational viewin section of the securing of Fig. 1 on a scale comparableto that of Fig. 2, the view being taken along 'line 5-5of Fig. 2 in'the direction 'of the arrows at the ends thereof;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional'view'ofthe box of Fig. l

' on a'scale comparable to that of'Fig. 2an'd taken along the 'line 66 of Fig. 2, lookingin the direction of the arrows at "theends of said linepand Fig. 7 isanother transverse sectional View taken through another portion of the-securing means at the locationof 1ine 77 in Fig. 2, and looking in the direction of the arrows at the ends thereof.

The storage box to which this-invention'is shown'applied inthe accompanying drawings and which has been selected to illustrate this invention is a typical-storage box for oflice records in that it is generally rectangulan-is made of corrugated paperor'board and is of a'size to receiveletter-sized sheets and files. It" is understoodyhowever, "thatthe securing means of this invention may be applied to the'closure flapsof other containers,-regardless of the material of which'the containers'areconstructed, and regardless of their size and general configuration.

Referring now tothe drawingsfor a detailed description of the invention and particularly to Figs. land 6,-the box selected to illustrate this invention'may be comprisedof a single sheet of corrugated-paper appropriately 'creased and formed with laterally extending flaps so that when bent or folded along its creases, it will form a closedTectangular receptacle or storage box Id-having sides 11 and 12, ends 13 and 14, a bottom-15 (Fig. 3), and a top formed by folding over side flaps 1'6 and 17- and end flaps 18 and 19. Bottom 15 may likewise be formed from a plurality of flaps similar to flaps 16, 17, 18 and 19, but its actual construction is not material to this invention and hence will not be described in detail herein. Similarly, the specific contour of the single sheet of corrugated paper or board from which the box is made is not material to this invention other than that it is so shaped and creased as to form box 10, the top of which is formed by side and end flaps such as flaps 16 to 19, inclusive. The initial form of the single sheet of corrugated paper therefore likewise will not be shown and described herein in detail.

Since storage boxes are opened at infrequent intervals, they receive relatively little attention and hence are quite likely to accumulate dust. In prior designs, the accumulated dust was prevented from entering the storage box by making flaps 16 and 17 wider than half the width of the box so that they overlapped one another. The upper flap was then secured in place by an appropriate lacing or cord to maintain the overlapped relationship between the flaps. As adapted for use with the present invention, however, the width of each flap 16 and 17 is less than half the width of the box so that, as shown in Fig. 6, there is a gap 20 between the opposed edges 21 and 22 of the flaps 16 and 17. End flaps 18 and 19, however, may have the usual proportions.

Gap 20 is closed by a plate 23 which, in the form chosen to illustrate this invention, may be rectangular in shape, the length of which is just slightly less than the length of the flaps 16 and 17, and the width of which may be approximately twice the width of the gap 20 to provide a generous overlap between the plate and the regions of the flaps immediately adjacent their edges 21 and 22.

The material of which plate 23 is constructed may be any of the rigid materials such as the sheet metals or the resin bonded fibrous materials, the principal characteristics of the material being lightness, rigidity and strength to provide adequate protection for the edges of the flaps, and also to provide suflicient strength for the fastening means hereinafter to be described and of which it is a part. The plate illustrated herein is made of aluminum which possesses the aforesaid characteristics and has the additional desirable characteristic of freedom from corrosion. The plate can also be made from sheet steel properly protected against rusting, and may be painted, if desired, to enhance its appearance.

Plate 23 has a central region 24 which is ofiset from the general plane of the plate by an amount substantially equal to the thickness of the cover flaps 16 and 17, the offset being directed into the gap 20 and extending over the entire length of the plate. Said offset region 24 pro vides stiffness for the plate about axes parallel with the short axis of the rectangular plate, but it provides no stifiness about the longitudinal axis of the plate. Stifi'ness about the long axis of the plate, is provided by means hereinafter to be described.

Plate 23 is secured to one of the side flaps such as, for example, flap 17, by a plurality of tabs 25 struck downwardly from the side 26 of the plate 23 to pierce flap 17, the protruding ends 27 of the tabs then being bent under the side 26 and compressed thereagainst to secure the plate firmly to the flap. It may be noted that the free ends 27 of the tabs are alternately bent toward edge 22 of flap 17 and away from said edge to provide a relatively wide bearing area for the tabs and thus reduce the possibility of the plate working loose from flap 17 by rotating about the tabs.

It may be noted that side 28 of plate 23 overlaps the region of flap 16 adjacent its edge 21 to hold said flap down as well as to provide a dust seal therebetween.

Provision is made in the construction of the storage box hereinabove described for mechanically interlocking plate 23 with the ends 13 and 14 of the box to make certain that the flaps 16 and 17 will remain in their folded over, or closed, position over the end flaps 18 and 19. Furthermore, the interlocking means is so designed as to lie entirely within the oifset central region 24 below the general plane of the sides 26, 28 of plate 23 to avoid introducing protuberances extending above plate 23 which might be engaged by a box stored upon, or slid over, box 10.

The interlocking means selected to illustrate this invention is shown in Fig. 1 at 29 and 30, and is identical in construction and interchangeable as to size for ease of operation and economy of manufacture. Each said means is disposed partly on the ends 13, 14 of the box and partly within the end regions 31 and 32 of the oflset central region 24 of plate 23. Inasmuch as the interlocking means are identical, it will sufiice to describe only one of these means in detail, that one being the one shown on the right-hand side of Fig. 1 and bearing the reference numeral 29.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 4, the interlocking means 29 is comprised of a resilient U-shaped wire clip 33, the ends 34 and 35 of which are bent transversely to the general plane of the U and doubled upon themselves, with the free ends 42 (Fig. 5) thereof disposed under the clip adjacent the upper surface of the recessed region 24. It is contemplated that said folded-over end regions 34, 35 will constitute the means by which the wire is gripped and manually manipulated, and hence it is desirable that the relatively sharp edges of the free ends of the wire be turned under out of contact with the thumb and forefinger of the manipulator. wire clip 33 in its free state will assume a position in which its ends 34, 35 are relatively widely separated and that the position shown in Fig. 2 represents the expanded position of the clip such that the side regions 36, 37 thereof will be held firmly against the side walls 38, 39 of the recessed central region 24.

A mechanical interlock is effected between the wire clip 33-and the side walls 38, 39 through the intermediary of loops 40 and 41 formed in the side regions 36, 37 of the Wire 33 and extending laterally in opposite directions into openings 43 and 44 in the side walls 38 and 39, respectively, of the offset central region 24.

It may be noted from Fig. 6 that the openings 43, 44 are disposed with their bottom edges substantially at the level of the upper surface of the recessed portion 24 of the plate 23 so that the wire clip 33 as a whole, when interlocked with the plate 23 through the loops 40 and 41, rests upon said upper surface of the recessed portion 24. It may be observed further that the side walls of the offset portion 24 curve toward one another at 45, 46 between the loops 40, 41 and the ends 34, 35 of the wire clip 33 so that room is provided between said ends and the respective walls 47, 48 of the oifset central region 24 into which the thumb and forefinger of the manipulator of the interlocking means may be inserted when it is desired to grasp ends 34, 35 to manipulate the wire clip 33.

The space between the side walls 38 and '39 is greater than twice the length of the loops 40 and 41 measured in a direction transverse to the side regions 36, 37 so that when it is desired to disengage the loops from their corresponding openings 43, 44, ample room is provided between said side regions 36, 37 to permit the loops to be withdrawn entirely from the openings 43, 44.

The base 49 of the U-shaped spring 33 constitutes in effect a pintle about which the wire is hinged. Said pintle is received in an elongated opening 50 (Fig. 5), formed by rolling over the upper edge 51 of a plate 52 preferably made of the same material as the plate 23,

but of smaller size, and secured to the upper region of end 13 of box 10. The securing means for plate 52 is comprised of upper end lower tabs 53, 54 struck outwardly from plate 52 to pierce the box end 13, the pro truding ends 55, 56 of said tabs then being bent over the top and bottom edges of an inner plate 57 overlying the inner surface of end 13. Other tabs (Fig. 6) 58, 59,

It is contemplated further that the in one direction but not in the opposite direction.

60.and 61 are struck outwardly from plate 52 and are m-ade'not only to pierce the end 13, but also pass through suitable slots in plate 57. The protruding ends of said other tabs are then bent over to lock plate57 firmly against end 13. Said plate 57 thus assists in distributing over a large area of end 13 the clamping pressure exerted by all of the tabs of plate 52 against the relatively soft pap'er material of .said end 13, and also assists in distributing over a greater area any vertical loads imposed on thetabs by the tendency of flaps 16 and 17 to open, whichtendency may be transmitted to plate 52 and tabs 53, 54, etc. through the spring wire clip 33;

It is contemplated that box may be moved about and pulled or partially lifted by a ring 62 (Figs. 3 and 5) hooked under an offset region 63 on plate 52. These pulling and lifting forces are likewise absorbed by tabs 53,54, 58, 59, 60 and 61 and distributed over a relativelywide area by plates 52 and 57.

It may be apparent from the description thus far given that the U-shaped .wire clip 33 of the interlocking means '29, when its loops 40 and 41 are freed from their respective openings 43 and 44, may swing about its base 49in the opening 50 provided in plate 52 out of the way ofthe flaps 16, 17 when it is desired to open 44 in the side walls 38, 39 of the offset central region 24. When so aligned, the ends 34, 35 may be released and the resilience inthe wire clip 33 will spread said ends apart and cause the loops 40 and 41 to enter their respective openings 43, 44 and remain there in interlocked relation with the plate 23. When wire clip 33 and plate 23 are so interlocked, it may be observed that such interlocked relation cannot be destroyed and the clip inadvertently released by an upward movement of plate 24, caused either by a blow or by an inadvertent attempt to lift the flaps 16, 17 caused by an overloaded condition of the box.

.It may be recalled that the central offset region 24 Was described as being a means for stiffening the plate It is an important feature of this invention that the ends 34, 35 of the wire 33 be protected against damage by protuberances extending below a box which may be slid over box 10, said protuberances, if not deflected, possibly causing the wire ends 34, 35 to be bent or one or both of the loops 40, 41 to be forced out of its respective opening 43 or 44. In the present design of fastener both the rigidity of plate 23 in a transverse plane and the deflecting function for protuberances are secured by substantially identical bosses 65, 66 (Fig. l) disposed adjacent the ends 34, 35 of each of the wire clips 33. Said bosses may be rectangular in shape and preferably ex tend upwardly from the upper surface of the offset central region 24 a distance at least equal to the vertical dimension of the ends 34, 35 of the wire clip.

Inasmuch as bosses 65, 66 are substantially identical only boss 65 will be described herein in detail. Said boss 65 has a curved deflecting surface 67 on the side thereof away from the wire 33 (Fig. 5) such that protuberances extending into and moving along the offset central region 24 will strike said deflecting surface 67 and be raised over the boss 65 and carried by its momentum over the ends 34, 35 of the spring wire. It may be observed that the remainder of the spring wire 33 is located closely adjacent the diverging side walls 73, 74 of the recessed or offset central region 24 so that said side walls in themselves afford the necessary protection for the wire adjacent thereto. The surfaces 68 and 69 (Fig. 7) immediately adjacent the boss 65 between the boss and the side walls 47, 48 of the recessed region 24 are curved inwardly toward the surface of the offset portion 24, 'butdonot quite'reach the level of the surface of said otfset'portion, thus leaving raised portions 70 and 71 connecting the outer ends of the curved portions 68 and 69 to the sidewalls 47 and 48 of the offset region 24. In this manner a continuous boss is formed across the recessed portion 24 to give the plate 23 stiffness about any longitudinalaxis that may be contained inthe longitudinal offset portion 24.

In the event it is desired to paint or otherwise coat the plate 23, an opening 72 may be provided near one end of the plate to receive a hook or other device from which the plate may be suspended inpassing through spray booths or dip tanks.

It may be apparent from the foregoing description that the closure means provided by this invention results in a storage box having shorter side 'flaps 16, 17 so that less material is required to form said box than was formerly the case andthat the overlapping edge provided by the metal plate 23 strong and sufficiently rigid to resist deflection from boxes or other heavy objects which may be placed thereupon, thereby affording greater protection for the contents of the box. The absence of protuberances on the plate above the surfaces of sides 26,

27 makes it easy to slide one box over another, and the use of one of the plates of the interlocking means as a holder for a ring or other pull device by which the box may be manipulated effects an economy in the cost of the box. The U-shaped spring wire 33 provides a very simpleand quickly operable means for unlocking the cover flaps, thereby saving the time required by other forms of storage boxes which are equipped with strings and other lacing means to untie such lacing means when it is desired to open the box. When the plates constituting the closing and locking means of this invention'are formed from sheet metal they may be readily and economically made as stamped parts.

Since the spring wire clip 33 closely overlies the surface of plate 23, andthe rolled-over edge 51 of the plate 52 is relatively long so that its ends approach the edges 21 and 22 of the flaps 16 and 17, sliding movement of one flap 16 relative to the other flap 17 is substantially prevented and the box as a whole thereforeresists deformation when handled. As a consequence the danger of the securing means becoming undone and the box'thus being inadvertently opened is considerably minimized if not entirely eliminated.

It is understood that the foregoing description is merely illustrative of a preferred embodiment of the invention and that the scope of the invention is not to be limited thereto but is to be determined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A closure for a receptacle having an opening thereinto defined in part by an end wall, said opening being closed in pant by a flap constructed to swing into proxirnity to the end Wall, said closure comprising sheet material of a hardness substantially greater than that of the material of the flap secured to the free edge of the flap and of a length substantially coextensive therewith, said sheet material being formed with a longitudinal offset region to provide rigidity for the sheet material in one I direction, a catch member disposed in the offset region, a boss in the offset region in proximity to the catch member for deflecting moving objects in the offset region over the catch member and for providing rigidity for the sheet material in another direction, means supporting the catch member on the end wall, and interlocking means on the catch member and sheet material in the offset region for locking the sheet material and said flap to the end wall.

2. A closure member as described in claim 1, said boss extending across the ofiset region and having a sloping surface on the side thereof remote from the catch member.

3. A closure for a receptacle having an opening therein-to defined in part by an end wall, said opening being closed in part by a flap constructed to swing into proximity to the end wall, said closure comprising sheet material of a hardness substantially greater than that of the material of the flap secured to the free edge of the flap and of a length substantially coextensive therewith, said sheet material being formed with a longitudinal offset region to provide rigidity for the sheet material, a catch member disposed in the offset region and comprising a cantilever spring having flexibility in the plane of the sheet material, means supporting one part of the spring on the end wall, the unsupported part of the spring being biased toward one side of the ofiset region, and interlocking means on the said one side of the offset region and on the spring for locking the sheet material and the said flap to the end wall.

4. A closure as described in claim 3, said interlocking means comprising a protuberance on the spring, said sheet material being formed to overlie the protuberance to restrain movement of the spring out of the ofiset region.

5. A closure for a receptacle having an opening thereinto defined in part by an end wall, said opening being closed in part by a flap constructed to swing into proximity to the end wall, said closure comprising sheet material of a hardness substantially greater than that of the material of the flap secured to the free edge of the flap and of a length substantially coextensive therewith, said sheet material being formed with a longitudinal offset region to provide rigidity for the sheet material, a catch member disposed in the ofiset region and comprising a U-shaped resilient wire having flexibility in the plane of the sheet material, bearing means supporting the base of the U on the end wall with the sides of the U extending into the oifset region and resiliently biased apart toward the sides of the offset region, and interlocking means on the said sides of the oifset region and the sides of the U and effective to restrain pivoting movement of the spring about its base in the bearing means.

6. A closure as described inclaim 5, said offset region being narrowed at the interlocking means such that the free ends of the sides of the U are spaced from the sides of the offset region whereby to provide space by which said ends may be grasped and moved toward one another against the resilience of said wire. I

7. A closure for a receptacle having an opening thereinto defined in part by an end wall, said opening being partially closed by a flap constructed to swing into proximity to the end wall, said closure comprising sheet material of a hardness substantially greater than that of the material of the flap secured to the free edge of the flap and of a length substantially coextensive therewith, said sheet material having a longitudinal offset region to provide rigidity for the sheet material, a catch member disposed in the offset region, means supporting the catch member on the end wall, said supporting means comprising a plate secured to the outside of the end wall, a pull ring mounted on the plate, and interlocking means on the catch member and sheet material in the offset region for locking the sheet material and the flap to the said end wall.

8. A closure for a receptacle having an opening thereinto defined by opposed end walls and opposed side walls, 3 said opening being closed in part by a plurality of flaps including a pair of flaps extending from the upper edges of the opposed side walls, the combined area of the said pair of flaps being less than the area of the opening such that a space is left between the said pair of flaps when the latter are disposed over the opening, said flaps being constructed to swing into proximity to the end walls, said closure comprising sheet metal of rectangular configuration secured to one of the flaps and having an offset region extending over the length of the said one of the flaps to provide rigidity for the sheet metal in one direction, said ofiset region extending into the space between the flaps, catch members disposed in the offset region and comprising U shaped spring wire clips, pivotal means mounting said catch members from the end walls for swinging movement into and out of the offset region, releasable interlocking means on the sides of the clips and the sides of the offset region for preventing such swinging movement, and a boss in the offset region adjacent the ends of the clip and extending across the offset region to provide rigidity for the sheet metal in another direction, and to deflect from contact with the ends of the clip objects moving in the offset region toward the catches.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 126,819 Marvil May 14, 1872 230,799 Millard Aug. 30, 1880 702,798 Johnson June 17, 1902 1,820,804 Hufiman Aug. 25, 1931 2,828,062 Fellowes Mar. 25, 1958 

